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This post features a few pictures of a .505 Gibbs rifle that I have in the works for a client. I just finished the checkering of the rifle and prepared the metal for the rust bluing.

This Mauser style rifle is built around a large Granite Mountain Arms action and a PacNor barrel.

It’s always a great moment when the metal is all polished and ready for bluing. The rust bluing is the only aspect of the gun building, besides engravings, that I outsource. A  friend of mine does it for me and I consider his bluing the best in the country. I’ve experimented on doing it myself but my results couldn’t match his. And therefore I’m very glad he is doing it for me.

The stock started from a blank of flat sawn English walnut. Many people prefer quarter sawn wood for custom stocks. From a perspective of strength, I don’t think there is much of a difference. But with quarter sawn blanks it is much easier to predict the looks of the finished stock.

A little belated, but still: Happy New Year to all. I hope it started off very well for you.

2018 will be a busy year for me. I have a lot of wonderful projects in the works and ahead of me. For once I’m skipping the gun shows in January and February, and I must admit, it’s nice to take a year off and work in the shop instead.

I recently delivered a Buehler CSA Ruger#1 custom rifle to a happy customer. This has been the second rifle of a pair. The first rifle was delivered earlier last year and was in the caliber .303 British. This one is in the caliber .404 Jeffery.

The Ruger #1 action has been altered with a number of modifications. I machined a steel trigger and a new sliding safety for the rifle. Also the receiver has been modified and you might notice the absence of the big and ugly screw on the action. A few esthetic changes where also made.

The rifle stock was made of English walnut. The flat top checkering and the escutcheons on the forearm are certainly patterned after  vintage British falling block rifles. Also the short forearm and tear drops on the side panels.

The barreled action has been rust blued. The simplicity, strength and gracefulness of a falling block rifle really appeal to me. Can you tell?

Former W.J.Jeffery director Charles Williams and gunmaker Mark Mitchell of Scotland are the architects of this beautiful and brand new W.J.Jeffery rifle in the caliber .450-400. Mark Mitchell is a veteran of the British gun trade and worked for many of the prestigious British gun firms before re-locating to Scotland where he resides today. He does work for the gun trade, primarily as actioner.

After receiving the green light from Mr. Williams, Mark went to work and created an exact copy of a vintage W.J.Jeffery box lock double rifle.  The action on this rifle is not a replica of a bulky Webley & Scott action that so often was utilized in vintage British double rifles. Rather it is based on a more appropriate sized and more re-fined action made by the Lenard shop of Birmingham. I have seen in the past double rifles by this maker and the handling is usually superb. Some of you may have seen pictures of the famous Jim Corbett double rifle, which was also created for Jeffery by the Lenard shop.

As often which such projects, a number of craftsmen had a hand in it, such as the barrel maker, machinist, stocker, engraver and finisher. However, Mr. Mitchell oversaw everything from start to finish and I think the result speaks for itself.

It is important for a craftsman to have a network of colleagues where advise and sometimes encouragement can be had. I’m very happy to have Mr. Mitchell in my network and to have as a friend. These days people of his caliber are increasingly rare.

For more information about this rifle, pricing and availability, please contact Mark Mitchell directly at [email protected]

Time flies. It already is Thanksgiving day again. One of my favorite holidays. It always is a great day to reflect on life and on all of the blessings my family and I enjoy. Blessed we truly are with good health, a great life and each others company. I appreciate having my own business which allows me to be creative. And I do appreciate so much all of my customers. I don’t take you for granted and am truly honored to work with you. Thank you so very much!

While my wife is preparing a beautiful Turkey I try to stay out of the way and am awaiting the arrival of our dear friend, Mike the Cop. Mike is a crime fighter, passionate hunter and all around good guy. It will be great to share this day with him.

I hope many of you had or are having a successful hunting season. The picture below was sent to me recently by a customer. I know he is happy:-)

This buffalo was taken with a left handed Buehler English Express rifle in the caliber .404 Jeffery.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The pictures attached are of a barreled action that I just prepared for stocking. This is a model “Buehler English Express” Mauser type rifle in the caliber 9.3×62. I love that cartridge. The mild recoil, solid track record, good accuracy and versatility makes this one of my favorites. The cartridges fit nicely into a standard size receiver. The action on this rifle is a Granite Mountain Arms small ring, light weight standard length square bridge Mauser type. I added a few touches of my own to the receiver. Modified square bridges for my scope mounts to start. I also shortened the bolt handle somewhat, cut a thumb cut into the receiver and re-contoured the shroud to give it a more appealing appearance. The magazine was replaced with a drop box, to give it that great African look. The quarter rib, front sight ramp and barrel band where machined from bar stock.

November is national gunsmith appreciation month.  After a successful hunt take your favorite gunsmith out for lunch or coffee and let him know that he is appreciated 😉

In October I made a short trip to Switzerland, mainly to visit family, but some business was involved as well. The fall colors in the middle of October where very pretty. My oldest son accompanied me on the trip.

Here a picture of the Rhine, with the view towards the Safienttal, in Graubuenden. That’s where I grew up.

That’s me on the last day. The weather started to turn and it snowed in higher elevation.

It was great to visit with some colleagues. Peter Kammermann (right) and I apprenticed together and he has a shop in the Kanton of LU. I also had the chance to visit with Peter Brun, who was during that time my supervisor and is today the Godfather of my youngest son and still works in the workshop at “Felder Waffen”.

Now I’m back and hard at work again. Bellow are pictures of projects in the works. Top: Milling of custom scope rings. Bottom: Preparing a new rifle in the caliber .404 Jeffery for finishing.

The American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG) is an organization who’s main function is to promote craftsmanship, artisanship and skill in building fine firearms, and promote awareness of custom gunmakers and their craft. It is a fine organization and I have been a professional member since 2007. In order to become accepted, a craftsman has to submit certain aspects of his work for evaluation by the membership. The ACGG has an ethics comity that follows established guidelines and can benefit those who create and those who use custom guns. It can mediate in disputes between client and member. I would like to encourage anybody who enjoys fine firearms and craftsmanship to become an associate member of the guild. The guild publishes quarter yearly a magazine named the “Gunmaker”. I’m thankful to the guild for publishing several times guns of mine on the cover page of the magazine. And also for publishing several articles. A subscription of the magazine is included in the basic membership.

In the current issue of the gunmaker, the front and rear cover feature 2 of my rifles. The rifle up front is a .300 H&H rifle and the rifle on the rear page a 6.5×55 rifle.

Front cover of a left hand .416 Rigby rifle that I built several years ago.

Fall 2009 issues, featuring on the front and on the back a .500 Jeffery rifle I built. That was a great project and the rifle has extended top and bottom tangs.

One of the articles that was published in the magazine.

Check out the ACGG website for more information. And I would like to encourage you to browse the gallery pages. There are numerous pictures posted of work by the members.

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On a side note, the rifle pictured in the ad is a Buehler CSA .404 Jeffery rifle that I built several years ago.

Through good fortune I have been contacted by a client who’s grandfather was a great collector of custom guns. When he passed away, a number of unfinished projects and rifle actions where left behind. I am selling these items on consignment. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing any of the actions. Or perhaps you are interested in a project. Let’s discuss it, I would be delighted to build a custom rifle for you, tailored to your ideas.

1. Westley Richards Falling block action. $3500

You just don’t find something like this. A beautiful vintage British falling block action in top condition. This rifle is perfectly suited for nitro powder cartridges up to .500 NE. A new oversize extractor has been fit to accept any rimmed cartridge.

    2. Miniature Farqhuarson action by Clayton Nelson. Please contact me for price.

This action was build in the 80’s. It is perfectly suited from a .22 hornet to perhaps a .30-30 Winchester and would make just a gorgeous custom gun. I have also an identical action for rim-fire cartridges.

3. Hagn action. Medium large. $3300

Mint Hagn falling block action. Perfectly suited for modern cartridges from medium rimmed or rimless cartridges to about a .404 Jeffery size. The strength and quality of these actions is second to none. This action has the older action shape which I like better then the shape on the new models.

4. Remington Hepburn action. $1500

Beautiful, clean action. With small firing pin, ready for nitro powder cartridges. Very professionally polished action. I have another available. That one is in original condition with 75 % bluing, set trigger and black powder firing pin, priced at $1000.

5. Winchester High Wall take-down action. $2500

What a find. Totally restored action with single set trigger. It has interrupted threats and is ready for a take down barrel. The firing pin is original and would need to be modified for modern cartridges.

6. Winchester Thick Wall action. $1500

Wow, original thick wall action, none modified. The main flat spring is missing but can easily be furbished. With double set trigger.

7. Various Winchester High-wall and  one Low-wall action. From $700 – $2500.

Please contact me for more information at [email protected] or call at (541) 664 9109

I have also several barreled actions for sale. I will post these very soon.

This has been a great project. A customer has had this pre-64 Winchester 70, for a while, has hunted with it successfully and built great memories with it. I’m not sure, but I believe he received it from his father. The caliber of the rifle is .300 H&H. He decided to re-stock it with a nice piece of Turkish walnut and dress it up some. I added a checkered bolt handle to it, a barrel sling swivel band and a new Sunny Hill bottom metal. Here are some pictures of the work as it progressed:

The stock was rough carved on a pantograph machine. About 80% of the internal work was done on the machine. In the picture above and bellow I’m in the process of inletting the barreled action into the stock, using hand tools.

The ebony forearm tip has been added and the inletting is completed.

The bulk on the right side has been removed and the cheek piece is taking on shape.

Rough shaping of the stock to the customers dimensions, which where previously determined with our try-gun.

The picture bellow shows the sanded stock with the first coat of finish applied to it, standing next to the original stock. What a difference, wouldn’t you agree?

A bunch of coats later, the stock is ready for checkering.

Checkering in progress.

I left a diamond shaped space un-checkered on the forearm and made and then fit an escutcheon into it. Using the original bushing and screw would have been easier, but the visual effect is certainly nicer this way.

The stock is now pretty much finished, and the barreled action is currently in the process of being rust blued. If you have a rifle, shotgun or combination gun that you would like to have re-stocked, please contact me at (541) 664 9109 or per email at [email protected] . I would love to discuss your project with you.

A good customer of mine recently mentioned that he had no idea how many of the parts on my custom rifles are being manufactured by me and where not purchased from suppliers. That made me think that perhaps I should post more often pictures of work in progress. The following pictures I took recently while working on the sight ramps of a rifle in the caliber .404 Jeffery.

I’m starting with a picture of a quarter rib in process for a “Buehler English Express” rifle. First the rib is rough machined, then roughly hand-fitted to the barrel.

Then I machined the dovetail for the rear sight and profiled the rib further. The ribs slightly warp during the machining and require final hand-fitting. The goal is to achieve a great fit, so that the rib can be soldered onto the barrel without adding any stress to the barrel.

A barrel band and the front sight ramp are also fitted at this stage. These parts are also made here in the shop. The picture is of a custom machined front sight ramp, barrel band and the quarter rib, all ready for soldering.

This picture was taken after soldering and before washing off of the solder flux. What a beautiful mess it is at this stage. As long as the parts are very well fitted and the soldering has been meticulously performed, the solder joints are incredibly strong and absorb shock very well. It will last for hundreds of years, as proven by so many old muzzle-loaders.

After the excess solder was removed, I then filed and polished the ramps to the final shapes and installed the sights.

A lot of work, no doubt, but I hope you will agree that the outcome is worth it.